Kids who show a greater familiarity with unhealthy food logos are more apt to be overweight.
Kids who show a greater familiarity with unhealthy food logos are more apt to be overweight.
That’s according to a recently published study in which children between the ages of 3 and 5 were quizzed.
Each was shown images of food, cartoon mascots, and packages and then asked to match them with the appropriate brand logo.
Overall, those who were most adept at correctly identifying kings’ crowns, golden arches, and silly rabbits also had the highest BMI ratings.
One of the study’s authors, Anna McAlister, said she holds television ads that are run during programs largely responsible.
This influence, she feels, is a greater contributing factor to a child’s weight than the sedentary nature of watching TV.
As part of the study, the ability of exercise to offset the time spent sitting was observed in two groups.
Although it was found to be effective in one group, it had no bearing on the other when the study was run a second time.
Said McAlister, “From our results it would suggest that it’s not the TV time itself, but rather what is learned about these brands. It’s probably the developing food knowledge, not the sedentary lifestyle.”
